| CODE | MPH3013 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Special Project: Medical Physics and/or Radiation Protection | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 10 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Medical Physics | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The aim of the study-unit is to help students gain experience in a research exercise in the scientific, clinical or professional aspects of Medical Physics and/or Radiation Protection and associated areas under the supervision of an academic supervisor. Examples of research exercises include: - carrying out and reporting a limited quantitative (including laboratory-based), qualitative or mixed methods empirical study; - carrying out an extensive comprehensive critical literature review; - preparing a paper for publication in a peer reviewed journal; - preparing a detailed comprehensive research proposal including ethics approval considerations. Study-unit Aims: The aim of the study-unit is to: - Provide an opportunity for students to gain experience in the conduct of a research exercise in the scientific, clinical or professional aspects of Medical Physics and/or Radiation Protection and associated areas; - Ensure that when conducting an empirical (including laboratory based study), students are capable of writing an appropriately detailed proposal and seek ethics approval when necessary; - Help students gain experience in the use of the research literature and critically analyze; - Teach students how to choose and argue the choice of a given research design; - Emphasize to students the importance of being on the lookout for sources of bias and uncertainty; - Explain mathematical techniques and statistical tests to elicit information from data; - Provide students with opportunities to present their work both orally and in writing. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Explain the research process; - Distinguish between qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods; - Explain the strengths and weaknesses of major types of research designs; - List the sources used to find information within the areas of Medical Physics and Radiation Protection and associated areas; - Discuss the use of different statistical tests; - Discuss sources of uncertainty and bias in Medical Physics and Radiation Protection. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Analyze critically the international literature within a given area of research; - Design and evaluate systems for the rigorous and safe conduct of physical measurements and experiments; - Apply for ethical approval when necessary; - Manage or discuss the acquisition, editing, analysis, interpretation, presentation, and reporting of measurement data; - Use statistical techniques/tests and software to analyse measurement data and manage associated uncertainties; - Manage projects; - Communicate clearly results in writing and orally. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Wilson, E. B.. An Introduction to Scientific Research. Dover Publications. - Polgar, S. & Thomas, S. A. Introduction to research in the health sciences. Churchill Livingstone. - Creswell, J. W. Research design: qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches. - Nickoloff E. L. Applications of Statistics to Medicine and Medical Physics. Medical Physics Publishing. - Mendenhall W. M. & Terry T. L. Statistics for Engineering and the Sciences by CRC Press. Supplementary - Bowling, A. Research methods in health. OUP. - Bland, M. An introduction to medical statistics. OUP. - Greenhalgh, T. How to read a paper. BMJ Publishing. - Oppenheim, A.N. Questionnaire Design, interviewing and attitude measurement. Continuum Publishing Group. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | **September Assessment Session: Students who fail to obtain an overall pass mark will be re-examined in the Dissertation. However, the resit availability for the Oral Examination/Presentation is at the discretion of the Board of Examiners. | ||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Dissertation | ||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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